Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rear side member in an underbody structure for a vehicle and more particularly, to improving passenger safety by securing an interior space of the vehicle while absorbing shock upon a vehicle collision.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, design technology of an underbody structure for a vehicle has been developed to improve passenger safety by preventing shock from a vehicle collision from being delivered into the interior (e.g., passenger compartment) of the vehicle while absorbing shock from the vehicle collision. In particular, to absorb the shock delivered into the vehicle upon the vehicle collision, a portion of the underbody structure for a vehicle is configured to be deformation in an accordion shape to absorb shock delivered into the vehicle. Therefore, a portion of the underbody structure bends to absorb the shock, and a portion of the underbody secures a space to prevent the interior space of the vehicle from being reduced to ensure passenger safety. However, absorbing the shock and securing the interior space of the vehicle conflict with each other. Therefore, the technology required for compatibility between the functions of shock absorption and securing interior space of the vehicle is required.
In particular, upon the rear collision, when a fuel tank disposed within the rear of the vehicle sustains damage the fuel may begin to leak potentially causing an explosive accident. Therefore, balancing the two functions of absorbing the shock and securing the safety space is critically important. In other words, when the underbody structure for a vehicle is designed to have high strength, the function of absorbing shock may deteriorate. When the underbody structure for a vehicle is designed to have low strength, the shock may be absorbed but the interior space of the vehicle may not be structurally maintained and the passenger safety may not be ensured.
The above information disclosed in this section are intendent merely for assisting in the understanding for the background of the present invention and therefore may contain information that does not form the prior art that is known to those skilled in the art.